Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Ryou Bakura: Harbinger of Trouble ❯ Bakura's first encounter with MAGIC ( Chapter 4 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Kazuki Takahashi does, and he doesn't want to give anyone the deeds to it, either.

 

The dust had settled, and the mist had thinned. It had all been a rush, from what he'd seen inside the Millennium Ring. He had told Ryou he'd be there, but he never thought he'd be called so soon after Ryou left their room. He hadn't known what had truly caused Ryou's collapse to begin with; all he had seen was gray and then black before the ring had activated, flashing with such a panic that Bakura had no choice but to take over. And, when he did, he was at a loss as to what happened. All he knew was that he was face-down on the cold ground. And he didn't like that at all.

 

“What happened?” came the old spirit's gravelly voice as he stood up, looking around. He was still disoriented, and part of him wanted to find himself in Ryou's room, or within the Millennium Ring. But he was in neither. He was still in that hallway, still confused, and still having no idea what he should do now. Thankfully, the mist from before was gone, but since he didn't know what had happened, he simply wondered what made the boy faint at all. Then, he remembered what he should've been doing. He should've been looking for Sami. Or, in his mind, the insane excuse of a woman that nearly killed Ryou for no reason. And it just made him all the more sour about it, too.

 

“Oh great,” he growled, stalking through the halls, “I have to look for someone who's even more insane than I am. Goody, goody gumdrops.” It wasn't that he hated Sami personally; he hated anyone who was rightfully more dangerous than he was, and judging from what Ryou said and thought, Sami was by far the most dangerous thing they'd ever come across. Bakura didn't want to make her mad, especially if she had the ability to kill in one blow. And while Bakura himself didn't back down from a fight, he wasn't stupid, either. If what he gathered of her was right, she was probably as powerful as the Espers he had spoken about. And if she was an Esper, he was screwed. As if to heed his unhappy thoughts, Sami appeared shortly, running down the tunnel, knife in her gloved right hand, as her ungloved left held a backpack. She skidded to a stop upon seeing Bakura, but as she did, her expression changed. She had caught something.

 

“…” she studied Bakura carefully, cautiously, but couldn't quite see what was actually wrong as she called, “…Ryou?” Not to her surprise, Bakura shook his head. She didn't exactly like that, but she had come to expect weird things in the castle.

 

“I'm not Ryou,” he stated, but he knew Sami had already gotten that one clearly. Her eyes narrowed behind her glasses, and she gave a short nod. Either she was impatient with him, or she was scared of him. Either one gave him an advantage if she became hostile.

 

“I noticed,” she said grimly, “I know not what you are, but I insist you tell me… what is it you want, and where is Ryou?” Bakura's lips thinned. Now he was beginning to see Ryou's hesitancy with his advice. Sami looked young, but she certainly didn't sound it. No, it wasn't a smart idea to try hitting on her. Bakura was thankful Ryou was unconscious; if he had flirted, Sami might've actually killed him that time. Deciding he had to calm her down a little bit, he held up his hands in surrender.

 

“Relax. I'm not here to harm you,” Bakura said, “I am the spirit of the ring, the one you were going to pawn off. I've come on Ryou's behalf, because he passed out, so you're just going to have to continue dealing with me.” He had expected some level of fear from Sami, but he was disappointed. She didn't seem the least bit daunted by him. But she did seem particularly bewildered. Obviously, even if she sensed the difference, she couldn't quite grasp it. Technically, Bakura did look very much like Ryou. But, for now, she simply ignored it. There were other problems that needed addressing.

 

“…agreed,” she finally said at length, “We have a problem now.” Bakura just grinned weakly. He expected a problem, especially since she seemed so frenzied when he found her.

 

“I'll tell him when we…”

 

“No, now,” she cut him off with such a tone, that he could only stare in disbelief. Whoever, whatever this woman was, she wasn't to be messed with. He hadn't expected such opposition, but then again, he hadn't expected Ryou to get so angry with him, either. And both had happened. He merely sighed, shaking his head.

 

“He can't,” Bakura finally said, “His mind is too drained for me to risk switching out with him. I can't allow him to try it.” Sami's lips thinned. She hated that answer; she didn't want to deal with Bakura right then. But, the tone which he used to describe Ryou's state… it worried her. She put her bag down, and frowned, leaning against the wall. For a moment, she looked… almost scared.

 

“What happened?” she asked, “He should've been fine once I cleared the mist.”

 

“I don't know. He collapsed after walking out. That's all I know,” Bakura answered truthfully, “It might be the atmosphere, or it could be the excitement. But… that mist… what was it?” Sami sighed, looking downward. This was one thing she had wanted to avoid, and she knew that she obviously misjudged the magic they'd be facing. And now, it cost Ryou. She was furious with herself for it. She looked back at Bakura, her face returning to its previously grim expression.

 

“…magic,” she replied at length, not quite sure how Bakura would take it, “Powerful magic, which I almost could not stop. It's a power that originates from a void called Oblivion, and it literally sucks the life force out of the area around it.” Bakura nodded. He'd heard vague mentions of a void called Oblivion, but only just, and in recent years. Sami seemed to know quite a bit about it, and that made him rather curious. He grinned just a bit too much for her comfort.

 

“And what, my dear, is Oblivion?” he asked her casually. Sami seemed suspicious of him, mainly for the fact that he'd even ask. Or even believe her, for that matter. But, she shrugged. If he knew Ryou, he'd tell him eventually. And if not, it wouldn't be hard for her to kill him.

 

“I'm sure you've heard of it recently. It's the void that connects many worlds in one frame,” she replied, “But it's unstable. Tap into it and you could destroy worlds. That's why I need to escape from here. Someone's tapped into it, and I need to find out who, and what for, and why here.” Bakura didn't like her curiosity with a thing like that, but there wasn't much he could do. No wonder she seemed particularly worried for Ryou's sake. Bringing him along really could mean the end of his life. Interested, Bakura tried for more information.

 

“What's this plan of yours?” he asked her, and when she raised a skeptical brow, he said, “I'll tell Ryou when he's awakened, I promise.” That seemed to be enough for Sami. She nodded, but her face didn't soften in the least.

 

“I know… just barely, who this woman controlling this magic is,” Sami explained calmly, “My plan is to escape, and then confront her on my terms. There's a small town filled with non-humans to the northwest. I plan to make my way there.” Bakura didn't see what this had to do with Ryou. Was she planning on taking him hostage?

 

“So then why do you need both mine and Ryou's help?” he asked her, a bit more furiously than he wanted, “You want my power, too?” Sami almost laughed. She had more than enough power; she wanted no part of his.

 

“Of course not,” she replied, and something about her tone irritated him, “I don't want your help, but I certainly don't want you two here, either. So, out of respect, I will ask for it.” Bakura hummed. He wasn't entirely sure how much he could take her respect to heart, but he was surprised she was showing it. That was rare. Even more so was the fact that she seemed to understand what was going on between him and Ryou. Immediately, he nodded his head. Helping her seemed the best idea.

 

“I'll help you. But how do you know?” he asked, “How did you know about me?” Sami smiled, a gentle smile that told him she rarely used it, if at all. It lightened her face. She took off her glasses and cleaned them, one ear twitching.

 

“Non-humans can sense power shifts in any given world. That's what allows us to travel at will, if we wish,” she told him, “I am a Chesier. My magic is potent, so it's not hard to sense the shifts happening.” Bakura nodded. That made a bit more sense. That was good, then. At least, she wasn't an Esper. Not that it was possible as of now, but it was good to know she wasn't that powerful. She led them both down a spiral, stone staircase that wound downwards a bit as they spoke, the air becoming just a bit cooler than before. Neither noticed as their topic went from Chesier magic, to the magic she was fighting, which was from Mystics. Then, that led to her plans of escape, and to her earlier plan of bombing the room, which Bakura had wanted to know the result of. He had wondered how effective it'd be.

 

“So, if you can use all of this powerful magic, why did you bomb the room?” he asked her, as they descended the stairs, “And did it even work?” The fact that her smile had faded, told him it ended in failure. She let out a deep sigh, her frown weak and saddened for a moment.

 

“I used a bomb, because I wasn't quite sure that my magic would work. Chesier and Mystic magic oppose each other strongly. It may have been fizzled out by the time I cast it,” she replied, “And no, the bombing didn't work. The room is highly durable. Someone knew what I was planning.” Bakura didn't like the fury seeping into her voice. He also didn't like that she was failing on her plans so far. But he dropped it. There was no need to argue, and besides, something was beginning to bother Sami. She had stopped momentarily, eyes hardening and mouth thinning as she listened to a sound Bakura couldn't yet hear. He arched a brow and stepped closer to her.

 

“What's going on?” he whispered. She urged him to keep quiet as she struggled to listen. The sound had passed quickly, but it returned again. It was a deep, loud thud on the ground. Sami's ears lowered, her wings tensing. She didn't like the look of things, now that she recognized the sound. She glanced just enough to get Bakura in her line of vision; the rest, she had to keep in her sight or she'd never see what it was that bothered her.

 

“Guards,” she whispered finally, her eyes narrowed angrily, “What is this? It's not time for them to be patrolling here.” Bakura hated that even more than her plan failing beforehand. Someone was definitely moving to keep her from succeeding, and if he didn't do something, they both would be caught. And most definitely killed for it, too. He turned from the hallway, to her as she strained to listen closely to see just how far they were from the guards. There was little distance.

 

“Does it matter? We need to run,” he reminded her, but she didn't make a move to run away. He saw her hand move, and watched as it went to the pommel of a sword. His mouth dropped. A sword! This woman had a sword, and now she was going to use it? He was beginning to question her sanity.

 

“Run if you wish, but I'm going to fight them,” she replied, not caring for the stare she was given, “Damn it, running will do no good, anyway!” Bakura frowned as he saw she was right. Guards had already turned the corner and saw them, and they were in the process of aiming guns at both of them. Bakura twitched. Ryou would be pissed if Sami died. He grabbed her wrists and began to run, not caring that she was struggling to get away.

 

“Damn it, we need to go!” Bakura yelled to her, but they didn't get far before the other end was blocked off as well. Bakura snarled angrily, and he felt Sami pull away, heard her mumbling something under her breath. He had to stop her; if she used magic, she'd kill them both. He took his ring and knocked her right over the head, causing her to collapse. He didn't want to harm her, but magic wouldn't do a damn if they died from it. He turned back to the advancing guards, and aimed the ring. With a final `forgive me, woman,' Bakura unleashed the spell he prepared, and a bright flash of light dazzled all in the hallway, until black enveloped them again.

 

Several hours later, she awoke in Ryou's bed. She hadn't remembered how or why she was there, and her head felt amazingly dizzy. She had a difficult time just sitting up, and when she opened her eyes, she cursed. She couldn't see anything except a mass of blurry colors, and realized someone had taken her glasses. She felt around for them, but couldn't find them. Ryou, who had been watching her, leaned over and slipped them onto her face. The colors straightened immediately, and she looked up at him, wondering just what the hell couldn't happened to her. Or to him, for that matter.

 

“Are you all right?” he asked, and when Sami nodded, said, “I'm sorry. I must've…”

 

“That bastard of a spirit did this,” she growled, noticing Bakura wasn't with her anymore, and when she saw Ryou's eyes widened, she said, “I know of him. Tell me whatever he said to you. Now.” She sounded very serious. Ryou didn't hesitate to tell her about the guards, and about how Bakura had knocked her out, silencing her spell from casting. That part, she was furious with, and it was clear. Knowing she might do something rash, he quickly explained why Bakura had done so.

 

“He didn't know what to do!” Ryou cried, “Sami, please don't be angry. If you'd used your magic, you'd have killed yourself. He wanted to help you.” Sami's eyes narrowed. She didn't know just how much of that she could've believed, but Ryou seemed convinced of it. She simply nodded, and smiled slyly at him.

 

“…all right,” she said, and then looked around. Ryou noticed something was wrong, and immediately, Sami asked, “Where is my backpack!?” Ryou bit his lip. Bakura hadn't come back with one when he brought her there. He guessed it was still wherever they had been attacked. He smiled weakly at her.

 

“I'll go find it,” he offered. She nodded, but seemed pretty preoccupied with the fact that it was gone. Ryou wondered if she had even heard him, but decided not to give her a chance to act by herself. She needed to rest, especially if Bakura's magic had hit her in any way. He walked out of the room, but Sami called him back in. He poked his head in, and saw she was frowning at him.

 

“Don't get caught,” she said sternly, and he nodded, leaving for good. He walked down the hall, wondering just what he should be expecting once he reached the right floor. Knowing Bakura, the backpack might very well be gone for good. But how could he tell that to Sami? He decided he couldn't; he'd have to find her bag somehow. Knowing only Bakura could point him in the right direction, he touched the ring. Immediately, he felt Bakura's presence.

 

“What?” came Bakura's voice. He was sourly annoyed. Most probably because of what had happened. Ryou realized he might've been hurt, as well.

 

“Are you all right?” he asked, concern leaking through him, “You were pretty upset when you came back with Sami.” Bakura didn't respond at first, but then he nodded. He had been upset when he brought the woman back, but only because of what he had to do to keep them alive. It had cost a lot of power. Now seemed a good time to warn Ryou about what Sami had told him about magic.

 

`I'm fine. That woman is trouble, though,' he said sternly, more serious than Ryou remembered him ever being, `She's going to personally see that the person in charge is killed. And, she can sense other things as well. She knew I wasn't you when I found her.' If he intended to stress how serious this was, he failed to do so. Ryou snorted in amusement at the thought that Bakura actually thought he was a good sneak, and Bakura just gave him a furious glare, asking, `What is so funny!?' Ryou's chest heaved as he calmed himself.

 

“You honestly thought you could be me?” Ryou asked, “Bakura, we're different. Even Yugi and the others could sense it.” Bakura's glare didn't lighten. He hated having to listen to how incompetent he was sometimes, but he had to take it. Right now, telling Ryou what he knew was important.

 

`She's a damn Chesier, all right!?' Bakura blurted out, `Ryou, she's not human, and she's not safe! She's insane, okay? She's going on about how we're in some sort of place called Oblivion and how magic's threatening our world, and shit we would never actually believe! She's criminally insane!' Ryou felt it was ironic that Bakura, who had tried to take over the world with Zork, was calling Sami insane for what she said about magic. For all they knew, it might very well have been right. After all, it'd explain the vampires that came after them… or what Ryou assumed were vampires. He waved the problem away.

 

“I don't think she's entirely crazy,” he replied, as they walked down the hall, turning the corner, “Weird things have been happening in the world. She might actually know something about them.” Bakura's eyes hardened. To him, Sith was crazy and that was it. He wished Ryou agreed with him, just for once, but life was never that easy. Ryou found the stone staircase, and Bakura directed him downwards, toward the floor where they'd been attacked. It was cool, and very dark. Most probably an after-effect from Bakura's magic.

 

`So you're still going with her?' Bakura asked. Ryou nodded, looking around for any sign of the bag. There wasn't one.

 

“Of course. She's going to help me escape. I might as well see what I can do to return the favor,” he replied, “Besides, she's a non-human. I've never traveled abroad with one, and this would be a terrible opportunity to waste.” Bakura didn't appreciate that Ryou was choosing to see this as a joy ride rather than as something to be feared and avoided, but he didn't comment on it. If Ryou wanted to think it was a fun thing to do, all the more power to him. They walked down one part of the hall, searching for any sign that the bag was still there. Dead guards littered the floor, but again, no bag. Ryou sighed in frustration.

 

“Where is her bag?” he finally asked, hoping Bakura would just make this easy. But, unfortunately, that wasn't the case. He felt Bakura shrug, raising an eyebrow.

 

`I have no idea! I didn't keep track of it as I hauled her ass up the stairs,' he replied. Ryou just grumbled. That meant he'd have to do some searching, which he hated. But, as long as he found her bag, that was all that mattered right then. He could bitch to Bakura about it later. If he found the bag.

 

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

 

After meeting Sami for himself, Bakura has concluded two things: Sami's not human, and he's pretty sure she's completely and utterly insane. But does Ryou feel the same way? And will they find the bag in question before they're caught again? How is Sami faring above, left to think her plan over? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!